Manu Wachter

Global diversity, equity and inclusion thought leader and change maker. Track record of senior stakeholder management. Business fluency in English, French, Antillean Creole, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Swift – London April 2023 - present Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Financial messaging network supporting international payments

Key responsibilities include

• Develop and execute multi-year DEI strategy and roadmap,
• Use data to track progress, identify trends and inform future actions, 
• Restructure and upskill the Business Resource Groups,
• Use my global DEI expertise to provide perspective, insights and knowledge to stakeholders across the organization.

Software development company leading the market in Execution Management Systems

Key responsibilities include

• Hire, develop and lead a world-class team of DEI professionals,
• Develop and execute multi-year DEI strategy and roadmap,
• Use data to track progress, identify trends and inform future actions, 
• Restructure and upskill the Business Resource Groups,
• Use my global DEI expertise to provide perspective, insights and knowledge to stakeholders across the organization.

• Created an “Impact Planner” within a month to ensure that the company takes globally coordinated action on important DEI dates in the calendar (eg. International Women’s Day), avoiding duplications, optimizing budget spends and allowing for advance communication planning, as well as precise global/local coordination.
• Coordinated global legal effort to identify requirements, prohibitions and best practices in data monitoring for each jurisdiction in which the company operates.
• Spearheaded the development of an internal version of the company’s signature software to enable real-time DEI data reporting.

Founder and CEO

Global consultancy specializing in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”).

Key responsibilities include

• Co-develop effective multiyear DEI strategies for systemic change across global organizations in partnership with the client,
• Co-design customized programs based on quantitative and qualitative assessments, conscious inclusion training (keynotes, webinars, interactive workshops, microlearning modules) and sustainability initiatives (talent management process reengineering and inclusive leadership coaching),
• Deliver globally scalable and locally relevant programs (navigating country laws, leveraging local research and examples, creating experiences in local languages in collaboration with local experts),
• Create reporting dashboards for key metrics to illustrate progress against program goals,
• Manage a core team of 10 and a network of 100 EqualPlus Associate Consultants (data scientists, trainers, process consultants, coaches, and translators) in 30 countries,
• Lead on strategy, finance, people, sales, operations, and communications,
• Produce thought leadership on DEI with an intersectional lens 

• In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, supported 7 global organizations (some corporate and others not-for-profit) on holistic, evidence-based, localized journeys of cultural and structural change towards antiracism, belonging, wellbeing and high performance, 
• Over 18 months in 2019-2020, supported a global foundation on their journey to scaling and operationalizing inclusive behaviors by leveraging behavioral nudges in talent management and decision-making processes,
• Guest lectured on Diversity & Inclusion in Organizations for the Cass Business School (MSc in Voluntary Sector Management) and ESCP Europe (MBA program),
• Personally trained over 5000 business executives on bias mitigation and organizational inclusion in 3 languages across Europe, North America and Asia. The Vice President for Human Resources of one of the top 4 Global Investment banks calls Manuel “the best trainer we’ve ever had”.

Director, Business Development (interim)

EDGE (Economic Dividends of Gender Equality) enables organizations to create optimal workplaces for their talents of all genders while generating economic gains.

Oversee the client experience, from acquisition to satisfactory delivery and renewal. Leverage workforce analytics tools to run equality diagnostic and identify any gaps (in terms of recruitment, promotion, pay, training, flexible working). Benchmark the client’s record against peer group and recommended thresholds.

Develop an action plan to bring down any structural barrier to inclusion. Deliver effective communication strategies for the organization, both internally so that the improved talent management generates productivity gains and externally so that the organization’s branding reflects its leadership on workplace inclusion.

Key achievements:

• Ensured the retention and expansion of a client portfolio spanning over 120 accounts across 22 industries and 43 countries, from the World Bank to SAP and L’Oréal. 
• Invited to contribute insights on global workplace inclusion by several conferences and publications across EMEA. 

Clarified for myself where I wanted to take my career next. I extensively studied the DEI literature, and I decided that I wanted my expertise to span three key areas: 1) workforce analytics, 2) process reengineering informed by the teachings of unconscious bias and nudge theory, and 3) sustainability strategies that ensure behavioral change is consistent and sustainable (through leadership coaching programs grounded in behavioral metrics, process redesign, and employee resource group engagement).

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM - Geneva 2012 - 2015

Associate Director

Selected as 1 of 30 out of 6000 candidates for the 3-year Global Leadership Fellows Program. Progressed from Senior Manager to an increasingly responsible position as Associate Director.

Managed North America, the Caribbean and (on an interim basis) Latin America for the Global Shapers Community, a network of innovative change-makers worldwide aged 20-30, leveraging the power of diversity and inclusion for social impact. Based on my track record in the Americas, was made global Head of Development, a member of the leadership team and regularly deputized for the Director (team management, recruitment, fundraising). Delivered projects and events involving governments, the private sector, academia, and non-profit organizations.

Managed the Global Agenda Council on Migration, a network of 20 of the most influential leaders in the field globally. Engaged with international figures in mentoring efforts for the Shapers, e.g. Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, French President Hollande, Rwandan President Kagame, Crown Princes Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway, Luxembourg Prime Minister Bettel, Costa Rican President Chinchilla.

Key achievements:

• Drove the growth of the Global Shapers Community to 456 local chapters worldwide (from 151) in 170 countries (from 100) and 5562 members (from 711) between 2012 and 2015.
• Grew North America & the Caribbean to be the largest region globally in local chapters, members, and projects from 18 to 82 chapters and 118 to 1006 members, three times as fast as other world regions.
• Sponsored 100+ local projects addressing social inequities and promoting sustainability (e.g. reforestation in Haiti, de-segregation in Chicago, "After Ferguson" initiative throughout North America).
• Created an annual day of community service in Geneva, enabling local non-profits to benefit from international best practices contributed by 320+ volunteers from 160+ countries. 

International Sales Associate

Hired to strengthen ICAP's relationship with the corporate bond trading desks of major French banks. Progressed to an increasingly responsible position of business development for new asset classes with savings institutions in French-, Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets.

Pioneered a strategic shift towards intermediating between major European banks and local savings institutions in Southern Europe. Created a market by highlighting a new category of buyers for "toxic" Southern European securities, thereby generating a highly profitable business model in the context of the European Sovereign Debt crisis.

Key achievements:

• Added 40+ new counterparties across France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Spain, Andorra, Portugal, Greece, and Brazil.
• Pioneered trading with Brazilian counterparties, which resulted in the hiring of a Brazilian desk.
• Represented the company at Fixed Income conferences around Europe. 

Management Trainee

Selected as high-potential graduate for the 2-year EMEA Corporate Development Program. Only Analyst in the class selected for an international rotation.

Served as a Trade Support Analyst on the Interest Rates Derivatives desk in the London office, then as a Fund Administrator in the Real Assets Investment Management division in the Frankfurt office.

Key achievements:

• Successfully led several internal consulting projects (e.g. managing the outsourcing of the Fund Administration function, reengineering cross-office communication), which enabled substantial savings at a time when the bank was facing the financial crisis of 2007-2008.
• Managed the relationship with the Board Members of the Real Assets investment funds.
• Led a Corporate Social Responsibility project with a team of 12 Management Trainees to renovate a school in Hackney.

Volunteer Research Assistant to Ninette Succab-Glissant, member of the Ecole Lacanienne de Psychanalyse (Paris), focusing on diversity, hybrid group identities, gender, race, and class. 

Methods: case studies, life histories, participant observations, textual analyses

International Systemic Team Coaching Certificate 2019

Academy of Executive Coaching – London

• Specialized in systemic coaching in organizations 

Best Year Yet® Worldwide – Denver, CO

• Triple Accreditation to run technology-based Best Year Yet® coaching programs (individual “Live Your Life”, groups “Raise the Bar” and teams “Fast Track”)

Academy of Executive Coaching – London

• Developed pioneering inclusive coaching model building on co-active, FACT and Gestalt models.

Global Leadership Fellows Program - Paris, New York, Philadelphia, London, Shanghai

• Organized by the World Economic Forum and co-delivered by The Wharton School, London Business School, Columbia University, INSEAD, and the China Europe International Business School
• Concentration on leadership development for under-represented groups
• Led academic qualitative research project on Alumni of the program (collaboration with INSEAD)

ESCP Europe - Oxford, Madrid, Paris

• Organizational Consulting & International Project Management
• Thesis: How to Keep Control over an Outsourced Business Process

City University - London